The Ship Inspecton Years

Prior to the Texaco fleet being disbanded, while on paid leave I started filling in as a substitute teacher at the local special education school where my wife worked.  It was rewarding so after leaving Texaco, I accepted a job at the school.  I went to a local university and got my MBA and eventually became the school’s business manager.  In 2013, I was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that had metastasized.  Memorial Sloan Kettering gave me two years to live.  My motto became “stay the course” and miraculously six months later I was cancer free and still remain so.  My oncologist told me I was the poster boy for MSK’s medical successes, his words not mine.  Through all my surgeries and treatments, I only missed ten days of work.  I continued working at the school full time until 2015 and then three days a week until 2020.

My job at the school did not preclude me from having a side business.  After all, you can’t take a sailor from the sea.  It had become clear during my time spent auditing ships that audits were destined to become more and more important as companies sold their ships to avoid oil spill liability claims.  I took a course in ISO 2000 auditing as well as an ABS course in maritime auditing.  Texaco had used me on several occasions in the early 1990's to do vetting inspections on 3rd party ships.  After the US fleet was sold in 1995, Texaco continued to use me, and other former employees, for these inspections.  One former employee and shipmate lived locally and we worked out a deal where he would trade me his weekend inspection assignments for my weekday jobs.  This worked out well with my job at school, although I often found myself working seven days a week.  I was also able to conduct inspections during the summer and school holiday breaks.  In 1999, Texaco sent me to Hemel Hempstead, UK, outside of London, to be their representative in helping develop the initial OCIMF (Oil Companies International Marine Forum) vetting inspection format.  I was kept gainfully busy through 2002 when Chevron merged with Texaco, inspecting ships in ports stretching from Come By Chance, Newfoundland to St Eustatius to Corinto, Nicaragua.  Another Texaco related group I worked for was Marine Management Inc, formed by former Texaco Port Engineers, primarily inspecting ships bound for Nigeria.  I also gained approval from six different Flag States to carry out inspections on their behalf.  It was a busy time but one I thoroughly enjoyed.

One of my more memorable inspections was in Newfoundland.  I flew to St. John's the day after Thanksgiving.  Being late November, it had already snowed there so I decided to wear appropriate clothing which included jeans and a plaid, flannel shirt.  Upon checking in to the airport hotel, I was surprised to see throngs of people wearing tuxedos and fancy evening gowns.  I received more than a few dirty looks.  I asked the registration gal what the occasion was and she said it was a Christmas party.  I thought it was a bit early for a Christmas party but was informed that Newfoundlanders used any excuse they could to party.

That particular ship inspection had its moments.  The ship had encountered very heavy weather on its voyage from Europe and had lost an anchor enroute.  Additionally, part of the IG line and many handrails had been swept away.  There was no way the ship could pass inspection.  The attending superintendent didn't want to hear that and begged me to ignore the many defects found.  Sorry buddy, can't do that.  He clearly knew of the damage that had occurred during the voyage and should have cancelled the inspection but failed to do so.

I was standing on the dock at Miller’s Launch the morning of September 11, 2001.  I was scheduled to accompany the USCG for a ship inspection and had pulled into the parking lot just after the first plane hit the North Tower.  Along with others, who were also waiting for a ride out to ships anchored in the harbor, we stood and watched as the second plane hit the South Tower.  Witnessing this was horrible and it was painfully obvious that this was no accident.  Talk about feeling helpless.  It was awful.  I stayed around for another hour wondering if I could help in any way and eventually got back in my car and headed home.  The Staten Island Expressway was closed for four hours with traffic pulled over on the side of the road while emergency vehicles of every shape and size sped by.  I had a portable radio in my glove compartment and was able to listen and give updates to nearby drivers who were also pulled over.   Eventually, the expressway reopened and I drove home.  Another thing I’ll never forget about that day was the goings on at my neighbor’s house.  They had gotten married a few days prior and were partying with friends in their backyard.  They were either completely oblivious to what had happened or just didn’t care.  I lost all respect for them.

After Texaco vetting was taken over by Chevron, I became a gypsy vetting inspector, carrying out inspections for the likes of Shell, Chevron, Conoco-Phillips, and Stat Oil.  Eventually the quick turnaround and red-eye flight travel started to wear on me so I decided to shift my business from vetting inspections to Flag State inspections which required far less travel.  Each Flag State had its own inspection form but the inspections were basically similar.  I wound up developing my own inspection form, taking elements from the various Flag forms and putting them in the sequence that I liked to conduct the inspections.  It made the inspection process more efficient and I was able to easily transpose my findings onto the required official forms later on.  Over the years, I inspected over 1500 vessels including passenger ships, bulk carriers, tankers, container ships, and car carriers and quickly learned that not all Flag States are created equal, some being very reputable, others not-so-much.  After several years of inspecting for multiple Flags, I settled on providing inspections only for LISCR, the Liberian Registry, which I found to be very well-operated.  Their standards were high and their safety department took their role seriously and strove for industry improvement.  LISCR made sure their inspectors were highly trained and held courses in ISPS, ISM, and Maritime Labor.  I became a lead auditor in all these fields and was able to issue vessel certifications in same.

I thoroughly enjoyed my years carrying out inspections.  Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and Covid-19 saw to that.  Being of a high-risk age for the virus, I officially ended my career in the fall of 2020, more than 57 years since I made my first sea-going trip on the Trinidad Corporation's SS Houston in 1963.  It was a very good ride with great friendships and wonderful memories made over that time.  I'll miss it for sure.